Boulder woman's arthritis experience leads to cookbook

Dietary hope

Caroline Thompson, of Boulder, holds her cookbook. "Caroline's No Nightshade Kitchen" at her home. Nearby is a chicken and apple dish prepared without nightshades.
(
JEREMY PAPASSO
)

It happened 14 years ago when Caroline Thompson was packing to move from one house to another. Her hands became red and swollen, and they hurt. A lot.

"The pain was like a deep, severe toothache that wouldn't go away," she says.

She had to get her husband to unpack.

"The pain was so severe I couldn't unwrap a teacup," she says.

The condition led her on a odyssey of medical treatment. She received cortisone shots. Doctors ruled out rheumatoid arthritis; the condition was more characteristic of osteoarthritis. One doctor put her hands in casts, hoping that keeping them immobile would help to stabilize her condition. But nothing worked.

Then, a friend who had worked as a physical therapist came over one day.

"She said, 'Have you ever heard of nightshades?' Thompson says.

She explained that tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes were in the same family of vegetables -- the nightshade family -- and that she had arthritis herself and had gotten a lot of relief by eliminating nightshades from her diet.

No peer-reviewed studies have shown an effect from eliminating nightshades. It's not clear if any controlled studies have ever been conducted. Anecdotal and sometimes circular claims abound on the Internet.

"I thought, 'I'm worn out,'" Thompson says. "The next morning I got up and thought, 'what have I got to lose?"

That's a point people often reach when they decide to try an elimination diet.

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While dietitians don't suggest eliminating foods when there's no research showing effectiveness, it's also true that some elimination diets are harmless, so there's no particular reason not to try them.

"My test for an elimination diet ... is I like to see if there's any data to support efficacy," says Bonnie Jortberg, a senior instructor for the Department of Family Medicine with the University of Colorado's School of Medicine. "The other thing I think about is if eliminating a food or grood group is going to be something nutritionally detrimental. Nightshades are not a group you have to consume every day. You can get (similar nutrients) from other sources of vegetables."

Her biggest concern is when people eliminate multiple food groups, potentially compromising the nutritional quality of their diets.

"That could put them in a compromised position in terms of nutrient intake," she says.

Jortberg says the most common elimination diet she recommends is dairy for people who are having intestinal issues. She says a link between dairy consumption and phlegm and mucus has not been proven, although many people eliminate dairy products for that reason.

She adds that two weeks is the typical amount of time needed to test an elimination diet. If the person finds relief, the food can then be re-introduced slowly to see if it causes a problem. If it does, the person should not consume the problematic food, says Jortberg, a registered dietitian, who also holds a Ph.D in human nutrition.

Thompson decided to try a nightshade-free diet. She thought about what she typically ate: a lot of tomatoes, dishes made with spicy peppers and potatoes. Some eggplant.

When she eliminated those she noticed a big difference, she says.

"In a very few days, the pain was gone, the red was gone, the heat was gone," she says, although the disfiguration was still there. "I could do things with my hands that I hadn't been able to do for three years. I could sleep. I thought, 'I can do this.'"

She stayed nightshade free for four to five years and didn't have a recurrence of the problem. Then she began to slip a little.

"I started dabbling," she says. "At a Sunday brunch, I would have a bloody Mary."

That would cause her hands to hurt a little, but it wouldn't last very long. She continued to eat nightshades occasionally, and she realized the pain was there all the time.

"It wouldn't go away," she says. "I had to commit to give it up again."

That commitment gave her an idea: She would create a cookbook that allowed her to make certain dishes that traditionally have nightshades. The self-published book, "Caroline's No Nightshade Kitchen Arthritis Diet," is available at the Boulder Book Store, Alfalfa's and Peppercorn in Boulder, as well as at amazon.com.

The potato substitute was relatively easy. Sweet potatoes provided the starchy goodness she was looking for. Tomatoes and peppers were more difficult. With tomatoes, what worked best was finding an acidic ingredient to substitute. . In a recent paella, inspired by a Camera story with the dish made by Café's Aion's Dakota Soifer, she used preserve lemons instead of tomatoes. Getting the heat that often comes from peppers was more complicated. Since black pepper (and white pepper) come from a different plant, they can be used. She also relies on dried and prepared mustard and wasabi.

Now, if she accidentally consumes a nightshade, at a restaurant, for example, Thompson feels immediate pain. That keeps her motivated to stay nightshade free; she is now working on a second cookbook.

"One of my hopes is that maybe my book will not only help people who are frustrated with their own health issues, but also stir up serious study," she says.

Chicken Breasts with Apples and Cider

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons butter (and 1/2 cup butter for later use)

2 crisp apples, sliced with skin

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1-2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup onion, minced (or 1/3 cup shallots)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup apple cider

1 quart chicken broth

1/2 cup flour or gluten free flour

2 tablespoons crème fraiche or Greek yogurt

Fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Season chicken with salt and pepper, set aside. Add 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet, with the apples and brown sugar. Gently toss to coat and slightly cook. Be careful not to overcook the apples as they will finish in the oven; set aside.

In a separate small skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in oil. Place onion and garlic in bottom of a casserole dish. In the same skillet, brown chicken breast until golden; place in casserole dish.

Cover chicken with apple mixture. Pour apple cider over chicken, followed by enough chicken stock to cover ingredients. Place casserole in oven, cooking for approximately 35-40 minutes (depending on size), or until done. Remove from oven when tender and moist; drain cooking liquid for sauce. Cover chicken and apples to keep warm.

For the roux, place 1/2 cup butter in skillet, melt, follow with flour. Stir constantly to form paste until roux is slightly golden. Slowly add the cooking liquid from the casserole 1 cup at a time, using a whisk to smooth. When sauce is luscious and slightly thickened, add crème fraiche or yogurt.

Mix well. If needed, thin sauce with additional apple cider. Adjust salt and pepper. For presentation, place each chicken breast on serving plate with serving of apples and an ample portion of the sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley sprigs. Pass additional sauce at table. As an alternative, herbs can be added as a finish for the sauce.

Distribute rice mixture, shaking pan. After this action, please do not move the rice until finished. Begin to ladle chicken broth around the edges of the rice, slowly and carefully not to disturb the rice.

This process may take up to 30-40 minutes for the rice to absorb necessary liquid. (When done, the rice should be al dente, tender, but not sticky.) Season paella with white pepper and salt, as needed. At this point, the contents of the skillet should be moist enough to steam the shrimp to a bright pink. If needed, add more chicken broth at the edges. Place shrimp on top of paella, then bury into the rice.

After about 2 minutes, turn shrimp over, bury again, cooking about 1-2 minutes, or until very pink and done. If needed, drizzle olive oil over paella; sprinkle fresh parsley over top and serve.

Serves 2-3.

Source: Caroline Thompson, inspired by a recipe from Dakota Soifer of Café Aion, published in the Daily Camera

Amazing Chili

1 1/2-2 pounds stew meat

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Flour (or gluten free flour)

Olive oil

2 quarts beef stock

1-2 cups old red wine

2 tablespoons instant coffee

6-8 garlic cloves

1/2 onion, coarsely sliced

8-10 mushrooms, quartered

1 stalk celery, sliced in 1 inch pieces

2-3 tablespoons oregano

2-4 teaspoons turmeric

2-3 teaspoons cumin

Black and white pepper, to taste

3 cans white kidney beans, drained

3 cans black beans, drained

Directions: Generously salt and pepper meat, then dredge in flour. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil to a large pan with lid. Add meat, brown well, and do not crowd. Brown in batches if necessary. Add additional oil as needed. When this process is complete and meat is removed to a side bowl, carefully spoon excess oil from bottom of pan, leaving browned sediment. Return meat to pot, add stock, wine (wonderful use for old wine), and coffee. In batches, put minced garlic, onion, mushrooms, and celery in a food processor; add to pot.

Season with oregano, turmeric, cumin, and with abundant black and white peppers. Cook for approximately 2 hours on high simmer, slightly covered, or until meat is very tender. Check seasonings and salt. Place beans in chili and cook on simmer for an additional 45 minutes.

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